Atlantis Call
by Mandarax
Summary: While on Atlantis with Woolsey SGA's The Return Part 1 , Jack dials Earth for a scheduled check in.


Atlantis Call by Mandarax

Disclaimer – Same old.

Summary – During SG: Atlantis episode the Return part 1 Jack's in Atlantis with Woolsey negotiating with the Ancients that McKay saved, after they kicked everyone out. There were 6 weeks of negotiations before the Atlantis gang decided to go save Atlantis. This conversation takes place sometime during those 6 weeks. This is also right before The Quest on SG1.

Author's note – I've been watching a lot of Atlantis lately. Can you tell? Also there's a reference to Dan Brown's DaVinci Code, so just to be on the safe side I checked release dates and the movie came out a couple of months before either episode (The Quest and The Return) aired. Score one for me. This is just a silly little conversation that popped into my head.

Rated K+

Spoilers – I think there are more spoilers in the summary than the story itself, but anyway – a tiny bit of a reference to season 10's the Quest and Atlantis season 3's The Return.

***

"Dial Earth please," Jack O'Neill nodded at the tech guy at the control and pressed the ear-microphone to his ear. Watching the gate light up, he moved away to a private room, or as private as it got near the control room.

The gate kawooshed into existence and Jack leaned back against a railing, both the gate and one of the nice monitors in the control area in his line of vision.

"General O'Neill to Stargate Command."

Back at the SGC, General O'Neill fizzled into vision on the control's monitors. "Colonel Carter here, sir. Good to hear from you."

He was surprised to hear her voice. "Hi Carter."

"Hi Jack."

"Ohh, you're alone in the control room," he wiggled his eyebrows when her image cleared on his monitor.

She giggled. "It is 0300 hours on Earth." Her fingers wrapped around a steaming mug.

"Which begs the question…"

"Running diagnostics. And hoping you'd be bored."

"Hey, I had a scheduled check in; it is not 0300 hours here."

She'd have taken his defensive demeanor into account, if it weren't for the sparkle in his eyes.

"Okay, General, anything new to report?" Sam propped her legs on the chair next to her, sipping her coffee slowly.

"Naw, nothing new. Woolsey seems to think we're making progress." He shrugged. "How's Sheppard doing?"

Sam sighed. "He's trying to adjust, but… He's having a hard time forming his own SG team. I think he's trying to recreate his Atlantis team. Cam's trying to help him but Cam had it easy with us."

Jack nodded. "Tough job."

"He reminds me of you sometimes."

He raised an eyebrow. "Not sure that's a good thing."

"Makes me wonder if you were like him oh, 30 years ago."

Both hands flew to cover his heart. "So I'm 65 years old now? Sam, I'm wounded."

She chuckled. "Since when are you so sensitive about your age?"

"Since you think Sheppard's a younger and better version of me."

"I never said he's better than you." She shook her head. "You're more…" She tapped her chin with one finger, searching for the right word. "You're mellower than him."

He chuckled.

She looked at him, her expression turning thoughtful. "It's strange, you know?"

"What, me being away and you being back at the SGC?"

She nodded, loving that he understood her line of thought without her having to voice it.

"I used to be on this end of the gate all the time," he sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hand.

"You really miss being out there in the field with us, don't you."

He nodded again. "I'm in a different galaxy right now; I've been to a million different planets and moons and stars. But if I were home right now, I'd be behind a desk in DC."

Sam nodded. "I don't know what I would if the Air Force decided to relocate me. Nothing can be better than this," she waved her arms, indicating the room behind her.

"Not gonna happen if I have anything to do about it. Which I do."

"Thank you," she chuckled.

"So why are you running gate diagnostics at 3 in the morning?"

"We're preparing for a complete systems upgrade; I'm just making sure our systems are prepared for this. Someone has to be here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and I needed to do this without disrupting anyone's work, so I replaced one of the gate techs for the graveyard shift. And General Landry mentioned you have an 0300 hours check in."

Jack gave her a look. "A complete system's overhaul? Don't you people have the Ori to fight?"

She chuckled. "We have a mission the day after tomorrow. Daniel's found more evidence that the Ancients left clues for this anti-Ori weapon. We're going after the Sangraal this time."

"How very DaVinci Code of you!" He looked away for a moment. "Listen, I gotta go. Woolsey's waving his arms like a crazy man; I guess we're going back to the negotiating table."

"Jack, if – "

"If we don't get to talk again before you leave on a goose chase across the galaxy you mean?"

Her expression softened. "I'll miss you."

"Oh, I already miss you, I'm going crazy here."

"It's not like we're together all the time when you're on Earth."

"Hence, crazy!"

She giggled. "Go Jack. Go negotiate."

"Are you ordering me around?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Quit stalling!" She chortled.

"Alright. I love you; I'll see you when we both get back," he smiled warmly at her.

"I love you, too." Someone cleared their throat behind her. She looked away from him for a moment and then, chuckling, she added, "Sir."

He tried to peer behind her to see who'd come in.

"It's just Siler, Jack."

He chuckled. "Bye Sam."

He terminated the connection.


End file.
